Bounty on
the Row
100 South Bay Accent
REVIEW B y S u s a n H a t h a w a y
Imagine a restaurateur planning the
menu for a new seafood place scribbling
down every beloved fromthe
sea dish around, regardless of
type (finger food, starter, voluminous
entree) and cuisine (European,
Asian, Latin, regional American). But
rather than selecting a few, he includes
them all. This improbable scenario is the
shockingly successful premise of Santana
Row’s new hit, EMC Seafood. Rumored
to stand for “eat more clams,” this busy,
contemporary spot serves sashimi, sushi
rolls, fish tacos, Parisian-style towering
platters of seafood, New England clam
chowder and lobster rolls, shucked oysters,
inspired seafood pasta preparations,
grilled fish, elegant entrees and even that
simple but satisfying old school
standard, shrimp cocktail.
The first Northern California
outpost in a thriving, upscale
Southern California chain that’s
part of an even bigger L.A.-area
restaurant group, EMC Seafood
might well be the concept that
ends the curse of failed seafood
purveyors in the Row. In addition
to all the classics like fried calamari,
Maine lobster, king crab
legs, Oysters Rockefeller, Manila
clams in broth and cooked
whole fish, EMC serves a slew of
modern, addictive dishes—like
its signature uni pasta—that are
getting big love from guests. It
doesn’t hurt that with 77 different
seafood items on the menu,
visitors could return dozens of
time without repeating the same
dish twice…unless, of course, it’s
love at first bite.
In light of this bounty of
choices, our tour today must
be brief. Out of abundant, excellent raw
starter items, a few particularly stand
out. “Hamachi Onion” involves olive oiltossed,
pristine pieces of yellowtail with
a jolt of scallion and serrano chile. Then
there are the red chunks of tuna in spicy
eel sauce that are piled on crispy wontons
with microgreens—a textural and
taste delight. Super-fresh salmon delivers
smoky flavors in Truffle Salmon Carpaccio,
which has crunchy fish roe for added
interest. Among many sashimi and sushi
roll choices, gravitate to the indulgent
Santana Roll, which wraps up crab, avocado,
juicy baked lobster meat, langostino
and chives in a creamy, spicy sauce.
The crunchy blue crab with tomato,
bacon and avocado in an airy louie sauce
T h e D i s h o n H o t L o c a l E a t e r i e s
COURTESY OF EMC SEAFOOD
EMC Seafood’s Menu
Casts a Wide Net to the
Delight of Diners